n%, 

ttnop?  PPTCE  10  CENTS. 


HISTORICAL/  SERIES 


MISSIONS 
IN  *  EUROPE 


American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society 

BOSTON  «  MASS  *  U«S«A 


PRICE  TEN  CENTS 


BAPTIST  CHURCH, 


NORRKOPING,  SWEDEN 


Arktuuulriiijment 

THE  following  historical  sketch  is  a  revision  of  the 
former  booklet  which  appeared  in  1903  under  the 
same  name.  It  has  been  entirely  rewritten,  and  is 
a  wholly  new  account  of  missions  in  Europe,  with  differ¬ 
ent  arrangement  of  contents  and  with  several  illustrations 
added.  For  this  interesting  and  valuable  story  we  ac¬ 
knowledge  our  indebtedness  to  the  author,  Rev.  Frank 
Peterson,  D.D.,  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  one  of  the 
District  Secretaries  of  the  Society. 


View  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  near  First  Baptist  Church 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 

I.  A  SURVEY 

IN  speaking  about  foreign  missions,  our  thoughts  in¬ 
stinctively  turn  towards  the  Orient,  for  we  usually 
connect  foreign  missions  with  Asia,  Africa  and  the 
islands  of  the  seas.  It  should  not  be  forgotten,  how¬ 
ever,  that  several  mission  boards,  including  the  American 
Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  carry  on  an  extensive 
work  in  Europe  also. 

It  is  most  interesting  to  trace  the  progress  of  modern 
Baptist  missions  in  continental  Europe  by  following  the 
course  of  the  earliest  baptistries.  The  first  baptistry 
was  in  the  River  Elbe,  near  Altoona,  Germany;  the 
second  in  Elsinore  in  Denmark;  the  third  in  the  Cat- 
tegat,  which  washes  the  shores  of  Sweden ;  the  fourth  in 
the  Baltic,  near  Jakobstadt,  Finland;  the  fifth,  where  the 
Skager-Rak  touches  Skien,  in  Norway;  and  the  sixth 
in  the  historic  Neva,  at  St.  Petersburg. 

Germany 

The  events  which  led  to  the  beginning  of  the  work 
were  all  directed  by  the  guiding  hand  of  God.  In  1834 
a  young  American  student,  a  Baptist,  entered  one  of  the 
universities  of  Germany.  One  of  his  vacations  was  spent 
in  Hamburg,  and  while  there  he  fell  in  company  with  a 
young  German  colporteur  of  that  city.  Both  being 
Christians  they  were  soon  fast  friends  and  naturally 
became  interested  in  the  discussion  of  matters  pertaining 


5 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


to  the  kingdom  of  God.  Scriptural  baptism  was  one  of 
the  questions  discussed  and  the  young  German  was 
led  to  read  his  Bible  to  see  what  the  scriptures  said. 
The  result  was  that  under  cover  of  midnight  darkness 
these  two  young  men  stepped  down  into  the  waters  of 
the  River  Elbe,  and  there  the  colporteur  was  baptized. 
This  young  man  was  J.  G.  Oncken,  founder  of  Baptist 
work  in  continental  Europe.  The  American  student 
was  Dr.  Barnas  Sears  of  New  York.  This  event  was 
destined  to  develop  into  great  historic  importance. 

Fuller  particulars  of  the  work  in  Germany  will  be 
given  later  in  this  narrative.  The  Holy  Spirit  had 
already  selected  a  second  field,  as  well  as  the  man  who 
was  to  break  the  soil,  and  that  field  was 

Denmark 

There  lived  in  Odense,  Denmark,  a  young  man,  the 
son  of  a  Jewish  rabbi,  who,  while  assisting  his  father  in 
the  synagogue,  was  strongly  impressed  with  the  fact 
that  the  Hebrew  service  was  but  a  dead  formality.  He 
spoke  to  his  father  about  the  matter,  but  could  get  no 
satisfaction.  He  sought  light  from  some  of  his  learned 
friends,  but  neither  could  they  lead  him  out  of  his 
labyrinthine  maze.  Finally  he  heard  of  Mr.  Oncken  in 
Hamburg  and  determined  to  see  him.  This  interview 
led  to  his  conversion  and  he  also  was  baptized  in  the 
Elbe.  This  young  man  was  Julius  Kobner.  He  was  a 
man  especially  suited  for  this  great  calling.  He  was  a 
poet,  a  preacher,  a  parliamentarian  and  an  organizer. 
His  work  for  Denmark,  as  well  as  Germany,  was  great. 
He  gave  to  both  the  German  and  Danish  Baptists  the 
hymn  books  which  have  made  such  deep  spiritual  impress 
upon  their  lives  and  faith.  He  yearned  to  do  something 
for  Denmark,  but  knowing  that  none  were  allowed 
to  preach  in  public  except  ordained  ministers  of  the 
established  church,  he  concluded  to  go  quietly  among 
the  people  of  his  province  and  by  private  conversation 
lead  them  to  the  thought  of  spiritual  things.  On  one 


6 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


occasion  a  discussion  arose  on  the  subject  of  scriptural 
baptism  which  so  angered  his  host  that  Kobner  was  told 
to  leave  the  house  and  go  to  people  who  were  like-minded 
with  himself.  He  replied  that  if  he  must  go  to  such  he 
would  have  to  leave  Denmark  altogether.  “  No,” 
shouted  the  enraged  host.  “  I  know  of  another  idiot 
just  like  yourself.  His  name  is  Monster,  a  jeweler  in 
Copenhagen.”  On  hearing  this  he  cancelled  all  engage¬ 
ments  and  started  immediately  for  Copenhagen.  On 
his  arrival  in  that  city  he  had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
the  jeweler’s  home.  With  a  beating  heart  he  touched 
the  knocker,  and  the  man  who  opened  the  door  was 
Monster.  He  told  him  briefly  the  occasion  of  his  call. 
Monster  was  jubilantly  surprised  .and  invited  him  into  an 
inner  room  where  were  gathered  a  little  company,  read¬ 
ing  and  discussing  the  Bible.  Imagine  their  joy  when 
they  found  among  them  a  man  who  was  able  to  expound 
to  them  the  word  of  God !  He  told  them  of  a  Baptist 
church  in  Hamburg,  just  such  a  church  as  they  through 
the  study  of  the  New  Testament  had  been  led  to  believe 
existed  in  the  apostolic  times.  The  call  of  Peter  to  the 
household  of  Cornelius  came  in  a  different  way,  but  the 
call  of  this  modern  Peter  to  this  modern  Cornelius  was 
no  less  divine,  and,  so  far  as  we  know,  it  led  to  more 
decided  results. 

After  some  days  of  thorough  searching  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  the  little  company  expressed  their  desire  to  be 
baptized.  Mr.  Oncken  was  sent  for,  and  on  the  night 
of  October  30,  1838,  at  228  Hammargade,  Copenhagen, 
these  believers  related  their  Christian  experience  to 
Kobner  and  Oncken,  and  at  three  o’clock  in  the  morning 
they  left  the  house  for  the  place  of  baptism,  each  going 
by  a  different  route  so  as  not  to  arouse  the  suspicion  of 
the  police.  In  the  stillness  of  that  early  Sabbath  morn¬ 
ing,  Oncken  baptized  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father 
and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  That  day  the 
first  Baptist  church  in  Denmark  was  organized. 

The  news  of  the  work  thus  planted  in  Germany  and 
Denmark  spread  to 


7 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


Sweden 

where  it  reached  the  ears  of  a  young  man  who  was 
laboring  among  the  seamen  in  Gothenburg.  He  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  new  movement  and  determined 
to  visit  Oncken.  He  went  to  Hamburg  and  after  an 
interview  was  so  fully  convinced  of  the  truth  that  he 
asked  to  be  baptized.  When  the  young  man,  whose 
name  was  F.  O.  Nilson,  reached  home  he  preached  with 
such  power  that  several  of  his  kinsmen  and  neighbors 
were  converted  and  requested  that  they  might  be  bap¬ 
tized.  As  the  first  administration  of  the  rite  in  Germany 
was  by  an  American,  and  the  first  in  Denmark  by  a 
German,  so  a  Dane,  Mr.  Forester,  performed  the  first 
rite  in  Sweden  at  Vallersvik,  at  midnight,  September 
21,  1848.  That  very  same  night  the  first  Baptist  church 
in  Sweden  was  organized.  How  little  Nilson  then  could 
know  what  harvests  would  spring  up  from  that  early 
sowing:  in  Sweden  a  church  now  counting  more  than 
50,000  members,  and  more  than  29,000  among  the  Swedes 
in  America.  How  little,  too,  he  knew  what  a  persecut¬ 
ing  church  had  in  store  for  him.  Stones,  stripes,  fines, 
imprisonment  fell  to  his  lot  and  finally  he  was  brought 
before  the  high  court  and  sentenced  to  perpetual  banish¬ 
ment.  His  exile  was  spent  in  America,  and  while  carry¬ 
ing  the  ban  of  the  high  court  in  Sweden  upon  him,  he 
busied  himself  in  the  work  of  his  Master  among  his 
countrymen  in  Minnesota,  organizing  the  first  Scandi¬ 
navian  Baptist  church  in  that  state,  which  has  now  grown 
to  88  churches  and  about  7,000  members. 

Nilson’s  banishment  attracted  wide  attention  through¬ 
out  Sweden  and  led  many  to  search  the  Scriptures  to 
see  if  he  really  had  tenable  ground  on  which  to  stand. 
Among  those  who  were  led  to  investigate  was  a  Mr. 
Mollersvard.  After  a  close  examination  of  the  Bible 
he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  Nilson  was  right.  He 
was  so  deeply  impressed  that  he  too  became  converted 
and  joined  the  Baptists,  becoming  one  of  their  most 
eloquent  preachers.  It  was  through  Mollersvard  that 
the  Baptist  mission  was  planted  in 


8 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


Finland 

He  had  occasion  to  go  to  Oland,  an  island  in  the  Baltic 
midway  between  Sweden  and  Finland,  on  a  business 
trip.  While  there  he  preached  with  such  power  that 
many  were  converted.  Some  of  these  moved  to  Finland, 
carrying  the  gospel  message  with  them.  A  number  were 
converted  and  baptized.  Thus  the  Baltic  became  the 
fourth  baptistry  in  Europe  and  Finland  a  new  mission 
field  for  the  Baptists. 


Baptist  Chapel  at  Strandebarm,  Hardanger,  Norway 


The  fires  were  now  burning  in  Germany,  in  Denmark, 
in  Sweden  and  in  Finland.  The  message  was  also  carried 
into  Norway  and  this  country  was  soon  moved  by  its 
spirit.  A  number  were  converted  and  baptized  in  the 
Skager-Rak.  Russia  was  the  next  to  be  touched  by 
the  refreshing  winds  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  River 
Neva  was  consecrated  to  the  sacred  ordinance  of  Chris¬ 
tian  baptism. 

It  is  most  interesting  to  observe  how  the  different 
nations  were  linked  together  in  the  work.  An  American 
baptized  the  first  German.  A  German  baptized  the 


9 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


first  Dane.  A  Dane  performed  the  first  baptism  in 
Sweden.  A  Swede  did  the  same  for  Finland.  A  Fin¬ 
lander  baptized  the  first  convert  in  St.  Petersburg  and 
a  Dane  the  first  converts  in  Norway. 

It  may  seem  on  account  of  the  rapid  spread  of  the 
work  throughout  northern  Europe,  that  it  was  compara¬ 
tively  easy.  Could  the  courts  and  prisons  of  Europe 
speak,  they  would  tell  of  such  suffering,  self-denial  and 
Christian  heroism  as  would  compare  well  with  the  days 
of  the  Inquisition.  Stoning,  beating,  fines,  confiscations 
of  property,  imprisonment  and  even  banishment  were 
the  rewards  that  were  meted  out  to  the  early  Baptists. 
These  repressive  measures,  intended  to  put  a  quietus 
upon  the  movement,  only  served  to  give  it  a  greater 
impulse.  The  prisons  had  no  terror  to  those  early 
Baptists.  The  dungeons  were  regarded  by  them  rather 
as  their  theological  seminaries.  Here  they  had  ample 
time  to  search  the  Scriptures  and  when  their  prison 
terms  were  at  an  end  they  emerged  thoroughly  versed 
in  the  Bible  and  greatly  strengthened  in  their  faith. 
These  relentless  persecutions  attracted  attention  in 
America.  Professors  Hackett  and  Conant  were  sent 
as  a  deputation  to  Denmark  to  plead  the  cause  of  the 
persecuted  Baptists  before  the  king.  Even  Lord  Palm¬ 
erston,  prime  minister  of  England,  interested  himself 
in  their  behalf.  Though  the  fire  of  persecution  raged 
fiercely,  it  could  not  check  the  onward  movement  of  the 
Baptists;  it  only  caused  their  zeal  to  glow  with  greater 
fervor.  Their  bitterest  enemies  admitted  that  their 
conduct  as  citizens  and  Christians  was  blameless.  They 
even  had  a  saying,  “  If  we  all  should  be  suddenly  sum¬ 
moned  to  give  account  before  the  bar  of  God,  the  Bap¬ 
tists  would  stand  the  best  chance.” 

In  the  early  days  the  Baptists  were  practically  dis¬ 
franchised.  Their  rights  of  citizenship  extended  only 
to  the  paying  of  taxes  to  the  state,  which  gave  them  no 
standing,  and  to  the  support  of  the  established  church, 
to  which,  for  conscience’s  sake,  they  could  not  belong. 
They  were  prohibited  from  holding  positions  where 


IO 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


salaries  were  paid  by  the  state.  Their  churches  were 
not  recognized  and  hence  could  hold  no  real  estate. 
Obedience  to  the  law  was  always  demanded,  but  protec¬ 
tion  was  rarely  granted.  Now  these  conditions  are 
changed.  Baptists  are  eligible  to  the  highest  political 
offices.  Quite  a  few  are  members  of  parliament  and  are 
themselves  lawmakers.  Their  influence  has  contributed 
largely  to  the  bringing  in  of  religious  liberty  and  politi¬ 
cal  equality.  Great,  immeasurably  great,  are  the  results 
which  have  sprung  from  that  word  spoken  in  season  by 
the  young  American  student  to  the  German  colporteur 
at  Hamburg. 

II.  THE  MISSION  IN  GERMANY 

Under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Oncken  the  first  Baptist 
church  in  Germany  was  organized  April  23,  1834.  Mr. 
Oncken  was  ordained  as  their  pastor.  Dr.  Sears  wrote 
to  America  pleading  for  aid  to  support  Oncken  that  he 
might  continue  as  their  missionary.  The  appeal  was 


Baptist  Theological  Seminary,  Hamburg 


ii 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


favorably  acted  upon  by  the  Society,  and  within  a  little 
more  than  four  years  four  churches  were  organized, 
aggregating  121  members.  During  the  year  1838  twenty- 
five  were  baptized  in  Hamburg,  raising  the  original  seven 
to  seventy-five.  At  Berlin  a  church  had  also  been 
organized  with  G.  W.  Lehmann  as  pastor,  which  office 
he  filled  for  forty  years,  and  the  church  has  been  one  of 
the  largest  and  strongest  in  Germany.  In  Oldenburg 
a  church  was  organized  in  September,  1838,  and  one  in 
Stuttgart  in  October  the  same  year.  Several  had  also 
been  baptized  at  Marburg  and  at  Jever.  Each  church 
was  fortunate  in  being  able  to  choose  a  pastor  of  intel¬ 
ligence  and  education  from  among  their  own  members. 

The  Cost  of  Success 

Mr.  Oncken  was  imprisoned  several  times  and  his 
household  furniture  sold  by  the  police  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  his  arrest  and  imprisonment.  Persecutions 
were  not  confined  to  Hamburg,  but  extended  to  almost 
every  place  where  the  word  was  preached  and  the  ordi¬ 
nances  administered.  In  Oldenburg,  Berlin,  Stuttgart, 
Bavaria,  Pomerania  and  Hanover,  the  brethren  endured 
cruel  mockery,  bonds  and  imprisonment.  The  ministers 
were  thrown  into  jail  and  fined;  assemblies  were  broken 
up  by  the  police;  members  were  compelled  to  bring  their 
children  to  the  priests  for  baptism;  in  Berlin  baptisms 
in  the  open  air  were  prohibited ;  at  Marburg  the  disciples 
were  fined  and  banished;  and  in  Bavaria  they  were 
forced  to  meet  with  great  secrecy.  Memorials  were 
addressed  to  the  Senate  of  Hamburg  by  the  Society  in 
America  and  by  various  bodies  of  distinguished  individ¬ 
uals  in  the  United  States  and  England;  and  at  length 
the  President  of  the  United  States  through  the  American 
consul  caused  representations  to  be  made  which  resulted 
in  great  advantage  to  the  persecuted  missionaries  and 
their  people.  From  that  time  the  members  of  the  church 
in  Hamburg  have  been  free  from  official  annoyance. 


I  2 


M  ISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


The  Expanding  Work 

In  1849  the  first  meeting  of  the  German  Baptist  Con¬ 
ference  was  held  in  Hamburg,  representing  about  thirty 
churches  and  2,800  members.  Within  a  few  years  their 
influence  had  extended  to  Russia,  Denmark,  Switzer¬ 
land,  Lithuania,  Silesia  and  Poland.  The  question  was 
even  raised  of  withholding  further  help  from  America, 
but  it  was  considered  to  be  better  policy  to  push  the  work 
more  vigorously  than  before.  Mr.  Lehmann,  of  Berlin, 
went  to  England  and  secured  $5,000  to  assist  in  erecting 
much  needed  chapels,  and  in  one  day  twelve  young  men 
who  had  been  preparing  for  the  ministry  were  ordained 
at  Hamburg.  In  1865  a  colony  of  German  Baptists 
was  sent  out  to  South  Africa,  and  in  more  recent  years 
there  have  been  emigrations  to  South  America  and 
Australia.  Work  extended  to  Bulgaria  in  1866  and  to 
Holland  in  1869.  In  1875  the  government  of  Prussia 
recognized  the  existence  of  Baptist  churches  and  passed 
an  act  for  their  incorporation.  Baptist  influence  has 
extended  throughout  all  the  countries  of  central  Europe 
and  is  becoming  more  firmly  intrenched  year  by  year. 

The  Seminary  at  Hamburg 

The  theological  seminary  was  established  in  October, 
1880.  Three  hundred  and  sixteen  students  have  (1910) 
received  their  training  at  this  institution  since  its  found¬ 
ing.  Many  of  these  are  successful  pastors  and  mis¬ 
sionaries  in  Germany,  Hungary,  Roumania,  Russia, 
Austria,  Switzerland,  Holland,  Bohemia,  India,  Africa 
and  the  United  States.  The  success  of  the  seminary 
has  been  due  very  largely  to  the  untiring  efforts  and  wise 
leadership  of  Rev.  Philipp  Bickel,  D.D.,  who,  as  chair¬ 
man  of  the  committee  of  management,  has  given  to  the 
institution  his  best  thought  and  influence.  The  recent 
death  of  Prof.  J.  G.  Fetzer  was  a  great  loss  to  the  semi¬ 
nary.  The  present  faculty  consists  of  the  Reverends 
A.  Hess,  E.  Muller  and  A.  Schive.  Preparatory  work 
is  provided  in  the  academic  department. 


13 


M  ISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


The  Publishing  House 


Besides  preaching  and  care  of  the  churches  Mr.  Oncken 
conducted  a  small  book  store  which  formed  a  base  of 
supplies  for  the  colporteurs.  In  the  early  years  the 
business  was  not  a  success  financially.  Under  the  wise 
management  of  Dr.  Bickel,  however,  the  affairs  of  the 
publishing  department  have  enjoyed  a  steady  growth. 
For  some  time  the  business  was  carried  on  in  the  city 
of  Hamburg,  but  now  its  headquarters  are  in  Cassel, 
where  a  substantial  building  has  been  erected  with  ample 
room  for  its  various  departments. 


Baptist  Publishing  House,  Cassel,  Germany 


Three  weekly  pa¬ 
pers  are  published, 
having  an  aggregate 
circulation  of  111,700 
copies  weekly,  three 
monthlies  with  a  cir- 
culation  of  10,000. 
Besides  these,  there 
were  distributed  last 
year  191,000  books, 
231,500  almanacs, 
which  find  a  large 
patronage  by  the 
soldiers  of  the  Ger¬ 
man  army,  some 
6,000,000  pages  of 
tracts,  7,000  Bibles, 
28,39 7  testaments 
and  198,927  gospels. 
These  products  of  the 
press  are  distributed 
not  only  through  the 
German  Empire,  but 
also  in  Hungary,  Rus- 
sia,  Switzerland , 
South  Africa  and  Aus¬ 
tralia.  Such  generous 
scattering  of  the  seed 


14 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


in  the  soils  of  various  lands  is  bound  to  bring  forth  a 
bountiful  harvest.  About  eighty  men  and  women  are 
employed  in  this  department. 

The  German  Baptists  support  missions  in  Africa  and 
India,  in  which  fields  some  61,700  marks  (about  $15,500) 
are  expended  annually.  About  161,000  marks  ($40,250) 
were  spent  in  1910  for  missionary  purposes  at  home, 
including  education,  while  917,178  marks  ($229,295) 
were  contributed  for  current  expenses  of  the  churches. 
They  now  have  200  churches  with  a  membership  of 
40,696.  Baptist  churches  can  now  hold  property  in 
their  corporate  right. 

Ill*  THE  MISSION  IN  DENMARK 

Baptist  mission  work  in  Denmark  is  an  outgrowth 
of  that  which  began  in  Germany  at  Hamburg,  and  was 
for  many  years  identified  with  the  German  mission. 
Julius  Kobner,  the  founder  of  the  mission,  labored  with 
great  zeal  and  wisdom.  In  spite  of  the  severe  persecu¬ 
tions  success  attended  his  efforts  to  a  marked  degree. 
In  1842  there  were  179  Baptists  in  the  country,  of  whom 
1 19  were  in  Copenhagen.  The  work  continued  with 
increasing  prosperity,  but  was  still  identified  in  all  the 
reports  of  the  Society  with  the  work  in  Germany  until 
1888,  when,  at  the  request  of  the  brethren  in  Denmark, 
the  appropriations  were  separated  from  those  of  the 
German  mission.  Since  that  time  the  work  has  been 
under  the  direction  of  a  committee  in  Denmark  itself. 
An  earnest  and  consecrated  zeal  characterizes  the  Danish 
Baptists,  who  labor  on  faithfully  from  year  to  year  with 
a  slow  but  sure  progress.  The  strength  of  the  work 
naturally  centers  in  Copenhagen,  the  capital,  where 
there  are  three  Baptist  churches. 

The  Baptists  of  Denmark  in  1910  numbered  31 
churches  with  an  aggregate  membership  of  4,082.  The 
work  was  then  cared  for  by  forty  pastors  and  missionaries 
together  with  some  sixty  lay  preachers.  Two  schools 
are  maintained,  an  academy,  of  which  Rev.  L.  K.  Kristof- 


* 


15 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


fersen  is  the  principal,  and  a  missionary  training  school 
under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  P.  Olsen.  The  academy 
is  open  to  young  men  during  the  winter  term  and 
to  young  women  during  the  summer  course.  This 
school  has  its  own  buildings  located  in  Jutland.  The 
missionary  training  school  is  housed  in  the  Kristuska- 
pellet  or  First  Baptist  Church,  Copenhagen.  The  book 
store  and  publication  department  is  located  at  Soby 
in  the  northern  part  of  Jutland.  A  weekly  paper  “  The 
Evangelist,”  is  published,  also  a  weekly  Sunday  school 
paper,  together  with  a  monthly  for  the  young  people. 
This  department  is  now  upon  a  paying  basis. 


House  where  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Sweden  was  Organized 


IV.  THE  MISSION  IN  SWEDEN 

The  first  Baptist  church  in  Sweden  was  organized 
September  21,  1848.  Notwithstanding  the  sternest 

opposition  the  work  spread  with  remarkable  rapidity, 
so  much  so  that  at  the  jubilee  celebration  of  the  Swedish 
Baptists  in  1898  the  records  revealed  the  wonderful 
fact  that  the  six  converts  had  increased  to  60,000  among 
the  living,  not  to  mention  the  many  who  in  that  period 
of  time  had  passed  on  to  their  reward.  Mr.  Nilson  was 
ordained  in  1849  in  Hamburg  and  continued  to  travel, 
preach  and  baptize  until  the  little  church  numbered 
fifty-two.  But  the  Lutheran  magistrates  and  priests 
objected  to  the  administration  of  the  ordinances  by 

16 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


one  whose  ordination  they  did  not  recognize  and  Mr. 
Nilson  was  arrested.  Several  times  he  was  imprisoned 
and  was  eventually  banished  from  his  native  land. 
After  remaining  for  a  time  in  Copenhagen  he  accompanied 
twenty  or  thirty  Swedish  Christians  to  the  United 
States,  where  they  would  be  privileged  to  worship  God 
according  to  their  own  conscience. 

The  truth  was  not  to  be  left  without  a  witness,  however, 
for  God  was  raising  up  another  leader  who  was  destined 
eventually  to  see  great  enlargement  for  the  cause  of  the 
Baptists  in  Sweden.  Andreas  Wiberg  had  been  or¬ 
dained  as  a  Lutheran  minister  in  1843  and  had  officiated 
in  the  state  church  until  1849.  After  a  long  struggle  he 
came  to  adopt  the  principles  of  the  Baptists,  was  im¬ 
mersed  by  Mr.  Nilson  and  was  ever  after  a  most  efficient 
laborer  in  connection  with  the  Baptist  cause.  In  1855, 
after  spending  some  time  in  the  United  States,  Mr. 
Wiberg  was  appointed  superintendent  of  colportage 
work  in  Sweden  under  the  auspices  of  the  American 
Baptist  Publication  Society,  the  work  being  transferred 
to  the  Foreign  Mission  Society  in  1866.  Never  has 
a  mission  field  yielded  better  returns.  Sweden  is  now 
by  far  the  strongest  Baptist  mission  field  in  continental 
Europe.  They  now  count  more  than  50,000  members  in 
600  churches.  The  average  number  of  baptisms  are  now 
about  3,000  annually.  The  work  is  thoroughly  organized 
under  five  committees:  home  mission,  foreign  mission, 
publication,  Sunday  school  and  church  edifice.  The 
money  appropriated  by  the  American  Baptist  Foreign 
Mission  Society  is  used  chiefly  to  aid  in  the  work  of  the 
theological  seminary. 

Bethel  Seminary 

The  unusual  progress  of  the  Baptist  work  in  Sweden 
is  undoubtedly  owing  to  the  excellent  work  done  by  the 
Bethel  Seminary.  This  institution,  which  has  been 
under  the  strong  guiding  hand  of  Dr.  K.  O.  Broady  from 
its  inception  until  recently,  has  now  eight  instructors 
and  has  trained  more  than  500  ministers.  They  have 


*7 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


done  and  are  doing  an  able  service  for  the  Lord  in  Sweden, 
Finland,  China  and  America.  Rev.  C.  E.  Benander  is 
now  the  efficient  president.  A  college  is  greatly  needed 
and  plans  are  already  laid  for  a  beginning  at  an  early  day. 

V.  THE  MISSION  IN  NORWAY 

Our  field  farthest  north  is  Norway,  the  Baptist  church 
at  Tromso  being  north  of  the  Arctic  Circle.  The  work 
in  Norway  was  begun  in  i860  by  Mr.  F.  L.  Rymker  of 
Denmark.  In  the  early  years  the  mission  was  aided 
by  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  of  England,  but 
since  1892  it  has  been  under  the  fostering  care  of  the 
American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society  and  the  work 
has  enjoyed  a  steady  progress,  despite  the  sternest 
opposition. 

The  word  u  Baptist  ”  was  associated  in  the  minds 
of  the  people  with  such  odium  that  they  regarded  the 
most  brutal  opposition  as  an  act  of  honor  in  order  to 
rid  the  country  of  sudi  heretics.  Many  a  poor  man  sold 
his  cow  to  pay  his  fine,  but  he  was  ready  to  part  with 
anything  rather  than  his  conviction  and  conscience. 

A  great  change  has  taken  place  since  that  time.  Then 
baptisms  usually  took  place  under  cover  of  midnight 
darkness  in  some  secluded  spot.  Now  all  things  are  in 
the  open.  At  the  Jubilee  Anniversary  in  1910  great 
banners  were  strung  across  the  street  from  the  church 
in  Christiania,  announcing  the  place  of  the  Baptist 
jubilee  Anniversary.  The  railroads  made  special  con¬ 
cessions  to  the  attending  delegates.  The  king  sent  his 
message  of  congratulations.  Even  the  state  church  is 
making  concessions.  Formerly,  no  one  under  nineteen 
years  of  age  was  allowed  to  withdraw  his  membership 
from  the  church.  Now  the  age  has  been  fixed  at  fifteen. 
At  the  mass  meeting  of  the  Jubilee  2,000  persons  were 
present,  among  them  many  who  had  been  compelled  in 
former  years  to  pay  fines  and  occupy  prison  cells  because 
of  their  Baptist  convictions. 

The  most  important  advance  movement  undertaken 

18 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


at  the  Jubilee  year  was  the  founding  of  the  theological 
seminary,  three  students  being  entered  for  the  first  class. 
This  institution  will  undoubtedly  be  influential  in  shaping 
the  future  work  in  Norway.  .The  Banneret ,  a  weekly 
paper,  is  an  exceedingly  helpful  factor  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  work.  A  monthly  Sunday  school  paper  is  also 
published.  In  the  40  churches  there  were  in  1910  about 
3,700  members.  The  39  church  edifices  were  valued 
at  454,724  kronen  ($122,775). 


Site  of  First  Baptism  in  Finland 


VI.  THE  MISSION  IN  FINLAND 

Baptist  work  in  Finland  was  a  direct  outgrowth  of 
that  in  Sweden,  Rev.  Eric  Jansson,  the  founder,  having 
been  first  connected  with  the  Swedish  Baptist  Mission. 
The  first  to  be  baptized  in  Finland  were  a  Mr.  Heikel 
and  his  sister,  whose  father  was  professor  in  the  Univer¬ 
sity  of  Abo.  They  received  the  ordinance  July  14,  1868, 
on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  Sea.  The  mission  was  for 
several  years  reported  in  connection  with  the  Swedish 
Mission  but  with  its  growing  importance  it  has  been 
given  a  separate  place  in  the  reports  and  appropriations 


!9 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


of  the  Foreign  Mission  Society.  The  work  in  this 
extreme  northern  border  appears  to  be  one  of  much 
promise.  The  recent  political  changes  whereby  Finland 
is  being  practically  absorbed  into  the  Russian  Empire, 
thus  losing  her  identity  as  a  nation,  have  been  of  a  very 
trying  character.  As  a  consequence  the  Greek  Church 
is  sure  to  be  declared  the  state  church  of  Finland,  in 
which  case  even  the  Lutherans  will  be  considered  a  dis¬ 
senting  body.  This  may  result  in  the  spiritual  benefit 
of  the  people  as  a  whole,  however,  for  it  will  naturally 
stir  them  up  to  think  for  themselves. 

The  population  of  Finland  numbers  about  2,500,000. 
Both  the  Swedish  and  Finnish  languages  are  spoken 
and  hence  the  mission  work  must  be  carried  on  in  both. 
On  that  account  the  churches  are  divided  into  two  con¬ 
ferences.  They  also  have  two  monthly  Baptist  papers. 

VII.  THE  MISSION  IN  RUSSIA 

Baptist  work  in  Russia,  like  that  in  other  countries 
of  central  Europe,  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  movement 
which  began  with  the  baptism  of  J.  G.  Oncken  and  others 
at  Hamburg  in  1834.  In  1851  some  efforts  by  German 
Baptists  were  made  on  behalf  of  their  fellow  country¬ 
men  who  had  settled  in  the  south  of  Russia,  but  such 
were  the  difficulties  of  the  work  that  the  first  Baptist 
house  of  worship  in  Russia  was  not  built  until  1872. 
The  work,  however,  was  entirely  identified  with  the 
German  Mission  in  the  reports  to  the  Foreign  Mission 
Society  until  1888,  when,  owing  to  the  regulations  of  the 
Russian  Government  forbidding  religious  work  to  be 
carried  on  in  that  country  in  the  name  of  foreign  organi¬ 
zations,  the  Baptists  in  Russia  withdrew  from  the  Ger¬ 
man  Baptist  Union  and  formed  a  bund  of  their  own,  and 
our  appropriations  for  work  in  that  country  have  since 
been  separate  from  those  of  the  German  Mission. 

Baptist  interests  in  Russia  are  represented  by  two 
large  bodies  allied  in  principle  but  distinct  in  organi¬ 
zation.  The  Russian  Baptist  Union  comprises  159 


20 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


churches  of  the  five  associations  on  the  western  border 
of  the  empire.  Two  of  the  associations  are  among  the 
Letts  and  Esthonians  of  the  Baltic  Provinces.  The 
three  others  are  composed  mainly  of  German-speaking 
churches  in  west  and  south  Russia.  The  Union  of  Rus¬ 
sian  Baptist  Churches,  the  formation  of  which  has  been 
possible  only  since  the  granting  of  religious  freedom, 
includes  churches  of  native  Russians  who  for  the  most 
part  have  come  out  from  the  Orthodox  Church.  These 
churches,  while  found  in  all  parts  of  the  empire,  are 
particularly  strong  in  the  southern  provinces.  Pastor 
W.  Pawloff,  of  Odessa,  has  been  chosen  president  of  the 
Union  of  Russian  Baptist  Churches.  Rev.  F.  Brauer, 
of  Nikolajew,  is  president  of  the  Russian  Baptist  Union. 
It  has  been  impossible  to  secure  the  figures  for  the  native 
Russian  churches,  but  their  leaders  estimate  that  they 
would  equal  if  not  exceed  those  for  the  older  organiza¬ 
tion.  More  than  fifty  Russian  traveling  evangelists 
in  addition  to  the  local  pastors  are  maintained  in  different 
parts  of  the  empire. 

The  decree  granting  religious  liberty,  while  restricted 
in  its  operation  by  the  arbitrary  action  of  local  govern¬ 
ment  officers,  has  revealed  the  fact  that  all  over  Russia 
there  existed  communities  of  Baptists  who  when  free 
from  fear  of  persecution  began  at  once  to  propagate  their 
faith  with  an  earnestness  and  zeal  that  have  brought 
about  a  great  spiritual  awakening.  Eight  Baptist 
associations  already  exist  in  Russia.  In  southern 
Russia  Baptist  churches  are  springing  up  by  scores. 
In  Russian  Poland  fifty-nine  Baptist  churches  have  come 
into  existence  since  1905,  when  the  Edict  of  Toleration 
went  into  effect.  The  Lodz  church  has  now  (1910) 
1,559  members  and  that  at  Lucinow  848.  Hungary 
is  being  swept  by  this  movement,  the  increase  in  the 
number  of  Baptist  churches  in  that  country  in  one  year 
being  twelve  and  the  increase  in  membership  over  4,000. 
The  church  at  Bekessaba,  only  three  years  old  in  1910, 
had  then  250  members,  and  that  at  Homotod,  less  than 
one  year  old,  had  180  members,  carrying  on  work  in 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


twenty  out-stations.  In  Rou mania  remarkable  history 
is  being  made.  One  Baptist  evangelist  has  baptized 

8,000  people  in 
the  last  twenty 
years,  280  con¬ 
verts  having 
been  baptized 
by  him  during 
August,  1910. 
All  classes  are 
being  reached 
and  all  eastern 
Europe  is  being 
set  on  fire  with 
religious  zeal. 
It  is  thought  by 
some  who  have 
studied  the  sub¬ 
ject  that  Bap¬ 
tists  of  eastern 
Europe  today  are  second  in  number  only  to  those  of  the 
United  States. 

The  Baptists  of  Russia  have  passed  through  great 
persecutions,  which  have  proceeded  chiefly  from  the 
priests  of  the  Greek  Church,  who,  since  that  is  the 
national  church,  make  use  of  the  officers  of  the  govern¬ 
ment  to  carry  out  their  bigoted  and  cruel  plans.  Whole 
churches  have  been  arrested,  clad  in  prison  garments 
and  amid  great  suffering  compelled  to  travel  as  prisoners 
with  loathsome  and  evil  companions  into  the  Trans- 
Caucasian  country  or  into  Siberia.  Many  Baptists  are 
now  found  in  this  sterile  and  desolate  land.  Some  have 
even  been  driven  to  its  far  borders,  there  to  drag  out  a 
miserable  existence  amid  the  degraded  and  ignorant 
savages  of  northern  Siberia.  In  one  instance  an  entire 
Baptist  church  in  the  Baltic  provinces  decided  to  emigrate 
to  South  America.  All  sold  their  property,  closed  up 
their  business  affairs,  and  the  richer  helping  the  poorer, 
they  left  their  dearly  loved  homes  to  find  a  place  in  a 


Largest  Baptist  Church  in  Poland,  at  Lodz 


22 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


more  hospitable  land,  where  they  could  worship  God 
according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences.  The 
scenes  of  their  departure  from  their  home  were  exceed¬ 
ingly  affecting,  and  as  they  sailed  away  they  sang  hymns 
to  God,  while  the  tears  were  streaming  down  their 
faces.  They  are  now  in  Brazil  and  have  formed  two 
churches  which  have  received  help  from  the  mission¬ 
aries  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 

VIII.  THE  MISSION  IN  FRANCE 

In  1832,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Triennial  Convention, 
as  the  Foreign  Mission  Society  was  then  known,  a 
strong  appeal  was  presented  for  so  enlarging  the  field  of 
operations  as  to  include  France,  Germany  and  Greece. 
The  terrible  religious  condition  of  the  first  named  country 
appealed  strongly  to  the  members  of  the  convention 
and  after  due  consideration  the  board  requested  Prof. 
Ira  Chase  of  Newton  Theological  Institution  to  go  to 
France  on  a  tour  of  investigation.  He  was  accompanied 
by  Mr.  *J.  C.  Rostan,  a  Frenchman,  who  expected  to 
remain  in  France  if  the  outlook  should  prove  encourag¬ 
ing.  They  secured  a  small  place  of  worship  in  Paris, 
where  they  held  frequent  meetings  and  spent  much  time 
in  personal  visitation  among  the  people.  Prof.  Chase 
also  found,  especially  in  the  northern  part  of  France, 
several  Christian  churches  holding  substantially  Baptist 
views,  although  mixed  with  more  or  less  corruption. 
Mr.  Rostan  had  several  interviews  with  General  Lafay¬ 
ette  and  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  explain¬ 
ing  the  object  of  his  mission  and  was  treated  with  much 
consideration.  Prof.  Chase’s  report  to  the  board  was  of 
such  an  encouraging  nature  that  they  decided  to  con¬ 
tinue  the  work.  The  services  of  Mr.  Rostan,  however, 
were  cut  short  by  his  death  in  the  year  following  his 
return  to  France. 

Isaac  Wilmarth  was  the  first  worker  to  be  regularly 
appointed  to  the  French  Mission  and  reached  Paris  in 
June,  1834.  The  first  Baptist  church  in  Paris  was 


23 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


organized  May  io,  1835,  with  six  members,  and  two 
days  later  four  more  were  baptized.  Two  additional 
missionaries  were  soon  sent  out,  Rev.  Erastus  Willard 

and  Rev.  David  N. 
Sheldon,  the  latter 
opening  a  school  for 
theological  students, 
a  work  for  which 
large  hopes  were  en¬ 
tertained,  but  which 
have  never  yet  been 
realized.  In  1837,  on 
account  of  failing 
health,  Mr.  Wilmarth 
was  obliged  to  relin¬ 
quish  the  work  and 
soon  after  Mr.  Shel¬ 
don  also  withdrew, 
leaving  Mr.  Willard 
the  onl y  American 
missionary  on  the 
field.  Up  to  this  time 
seven  churches  had 
been  organized,  with 
a  total  membership  of 
142;  several  helpers 
had  been  developed  from  among  the  people  themselves; 
and  a  pastor  had  been  placed  over  each  church.  In 
spite  of  the  religious  apathy  of  the  country  at  large 
there  was  much  to  encourage  the  missionaries. 

In  1848  Dr.  T.  T.  Devan,  formerly  a  missionary  to 
China,  joined  the  French  Mission,  but  remained  only 
five  years.  Mr.  Willard  withdrew  in  1856  and  since  then 
the  work  has  been  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the 
French  brethren  themselves,  with  only  financial  aid  from 
America.  The  work  was  extended  into  different  parts 
of  France,  churches  multiplied  and  there  was  an  en¬ 
couraging  increase  in  membership.  During  the  Franco- 
Prussian  War  nearly  all  the  men  entered  the  army, 


Baptist  Chapel  at  La  Fere,  France 


24 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


but  the  Lord  preserved  many  of  them  and  their  families, 
so  that  the  cause  did  not  suffer. 

A  New  Day  Dawns 

In  the  meantime  a  new  influence  for  evangelical 
religion  was  making  itself  felt  in  the  great  city  of  Paris. 
Mr.  R.  W.  McAll,  a  young  Englishman  and  a  devoted 
Christian,  happening  to  be  in  Paris  shortly  after  one  of 
the  communistic  uprisings  which  were  more  or  less 
frequent,  was  preaching  the  gospel  to  a  company  of 
workingmen.  Said  one  to  him,  “If  you  have  anything 
real  to  tell  us  I  can  bring  thousands  to  hear  you,  but 
we  are  tired  of  this  empty  formalism.”  Mr.  McAll 
accepted  this  as  a  challenge  from  the  people  and  de¬ 
cided  to  devote  himself  to  evangelistic  work  among 
them.  The  success  of  the  effort  was  phenomenal;  the 
mission  halls  were  crowded  night  after  night  and  many 
for  the  first  time  experienced  forgiveness  and  peace. 
It  was  the  most  remarkable  movement  ever  known  in 
that  great  city.  Mr.  McAll  might  well  be  called  the 
Moody  of  Paris.  The  work  grew  to  such  proportions 
that  an  assistant  became  necessary,  and  through  the 
leading  of  Providence  Mr.  Reuben  Saillens  joined  the 
mission.  Mr.  Saillens  had  been  brought  up  under 
strong  evangelical  influence,  his  father  being  an  evangel¬ 
ist  in  the  Independent  Church  of  France.  He  himself 
as  a  young  man  had  known  the  joy  of  preaching  Christ 
and  of  seeing  men  turn  from  sin  to  serve  the  living  God. 
To  prepare  himself  for  more  extensive  work  he  had  be¬ 
come  a  student  at  the  East  London  Institute,  under  Dr. 
H.  Grattan  Guinness,  and  it  was  while  pursuing  his 
studies  there  that  he  was  called  to  assist  in  the  McAll 
mission  in  Paris. 

The  influence  of  the  McAll  mission  led  to  a  general 
revival  in  all  the  Protestant  churches  in  Paris  and  our 
Baptist  pastors  worked  in  the  greatest  harmony  with 
the  mission.  Mr.  Saillens  had  long  been  in  sympathy 
with  Baptist  principles,  having  always  believed  in 
immersion.  He  now  became  deeply  interested  in  the 


25 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


development  of  Baptist  work  in  France.  In  1888,  while 
still  retaining  his  connection  with  the  McAll  work,  he  be¬ 
came  acting  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  in  Rue  de  Lille. 
Mr.  McAll  himself  at  length  recognized  the  desirability 
of  organizing  the  work  along  more  strictly  denomina¬ 
tional  lines  and  favored  the  establishment  of  organized 
churches.  In  .1889  Mr.  Saillens  organized  the  second 
Baptist  church  in  Paris  and  began  to  hold  services  in  a 
hall  in  Rue  St.  Denis.  The  year  1891  may  be  said  to 
mark  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  work  under  review. 
After  much  thought  Mr.  Saillens  had  decided  to  with- 


Baptist  Chapel,  Denain,  France 


draw  from  the  McAll  Mission  and  to  give  all  his  time 
and  influence  to  Baptist  mission  work.  He  was  elected 
the  general  secretary  of  the  French  Baptist  Missionary 
Committee,  with  oversight  of  the  work  in  the  entire 
field.  The  revival  which  had  begun  in  1888  now  in¬ 
creased  in  power  and  the  churches  were  greatly  strength¬ 
ened.  This  revival  may  be  said  to  have  been  due  in  a 
large  measure  to  the  work  of  the  veteran  preacher  Rev. 
J.  B.  Cretin,  who  with  immense  industry  and  perse ver- 


26 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


ance  had  been  preparing  and  distributing  Baptist  tracts 
and  literature,  circulating  them  largely  at  his  own 
expense.  In  fifteen  months  the  two  churches  in  Paris 
nearly  doubled  their  membership;  the  Rue  de  Lille 
church  had  four  mission  halls  and  the  Rue  St.  Denis 
two,  aside  from  constant  daily  meetings  in  their  own 
halls. 

Enlarging  Their  Borders 

The  enlargement  of  the  work  has  naturally  necessi¬ 
tated  some  organization  and  the  entire  field  is  now  under 
the  direction  of  two  committees,  known  as  the  Franco- 
Belgian  and  the  Franco-Swiss  Committees.  LTnder  the 
care  of  the  first  come  the  churches  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  country  and  those  in  Belgium;  the  Franco-Swiss 
Committee  has  charge  of  those  in  the  east  of  France 
and  in  French-speaking  Switzerland.  The  history  of 
the  Baptist  movement  in  French  Switzerland  is  full  of 
interest.  A  very  godly  man,  Pastor  Robert,  of  Neucha- 
tel,  died  and  left  a  church  which  was  practically  Baptist, 
all  having  been  immersed.  His  influence  had  extended 
into  many  of  the  surrounding  towns,  among  which  was 
Tramelan,  a  village  situated  high  up  in  the  Jura  Moun¬ 
tains.  Mr.  Saillens  heard  of  them  and  paid  them  a  visit. 
When  they  learned  of  the  Baptist  churches  in  France 
and  saw  that  they  were  identical  with  them  in  faith 
and  practise,  they  decided  to  come  over  bodily  and 
associate  themselves  with  them. 

As  yet  the  Baptists  of  France  have  no  theological 
school.  Their  ministerial  students  usually  take  their 
preparatory  course  with  one  of  the  pastors  and  then 
later  they  are  sent  to  some  Baptist  seminary  in  England, 
generally  to  Spurgeon’s  college.  A  summer  school  is 
held  each  year  at  Morges,  near  Chexbres,  with  two  or 
three  hundred  persons  in  attendance.  These  consist 
of  pastors,  evangelists,  colporteurs  and  lay  workers 
from  all  parts  of  the  French-speaking  countries.  The 
purpose  of  this  summer  school  is  to  study  the  Bible, 
which  is  the  chief  text-book,  and  the  best  teachers  who 
can  be  secured  are  engaged. 


27 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


In  each  of  the  centers  the  work  is  being  faithfully  and 
aggressively  pushed.  In  Nimes  the  church  is  enthusias¬ 
tic  and  active.  In  Nice,  an  important  center,  strong 
efforts  are  being  made  to  secure  a  greatly  needed  chapel. 
The  church  at  Colombes  is  now  rejoicing  in  a  new  build¬ 
ing.  Work  has  been  opened  in  the  historic  city  of 
Rheims,  which  is  an  industrial  center  with  a  population 
of  about  110,000.  A  movable  hall  is  used  in  reaching 
the  people  in  the  various  parts  of  the  city. 

IX.  THE  MISSION  IN  SPAIN 

Prof.  William  I.  Knapp  was  the  founder  of  Baptist 
mission  work  in  Spain.  He  established  himself  in 
independent  missionary  work  in  Madrid  in  1869  and 
afterwards  applied  to  the  Foreign  Mission  Society  for 
assistance,  which  was  granted.  In  1870  Rev.  John  W. 
Terry  was  appointed  a  missionary,  but  remained  in  the 
country  only  a  few  months.  Despite  the  limited  mis¬ 
sionary  force,  however,  the  mission  received  great  en- 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


couragement  in  its  earlier  years.  Eighteen  were  bap- 
tizecl  in  1870  and  August  10  of  that  year  the  First 
Baptist  church  in  Madrid  was  organized  with  thirty- 
three  members.  Several  Spanish  evangelists  were  raised 
up,  among  them  Rev.  G.  S.  Benoliel,  who  for  several 
years  was  pastor  of  the  Madrid  church  and  whose 
preaching  attracted  great  .attention.  A  church  was 
formed  in  Valencia  in  1871  and  a  number  were  received 
in  Alicante.  Some  work  was  also  done  in  Portugal  and 
a  number  of  converts  were  baptized  in  that  country,  forty- 
one  in  Linares;  but  the  promising  work  in  that  country 
was  broken  up  by  persecution.  In  1874  there  were 
four  churches  with  four  native  pastors  and  evangelists 
and  a  total  number  in  membership  of  two  hundred  and 
forty-four.  Mr.  Knapp  returned  to  the  United  States 
in  1876  and  the  work  was  then  continued  by  native 
laborers. 

In  1885  the  Society  had  but  one  missionary  laboring 
in  Spain,  Rev.  Eric  Lund,  of  Sweden,  who  began  work 
at  Barcelona,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  country. 
Since  that  time  this  has  been  the  headquarters  of  our 
Baptist  mission,  but  its  influence  has  been  felt  in  various 
outlying  districts.  Much  work  was  done  in  publishing 
tracts  and  distributing  portions  of  scripture,  and  a  few 
converts  were  gathered.  In  1886  Mr.  Lund  was  joined 
by  Rev.  Manuel  C.  Marin,  a  native  of  Spain,  and  a 
graduate  of  Colby  and  Newton.  These  brethren  adopted 
new  features  of  evangelistic  work  by  which  series  of 
meetings  were  held  in  different  villages  and  the  few 
converts  gathered  were  organized  into  small,  independent 
churches,  one  of  the  members  in  each  being  placed  over 
them  as  a  leader.  This  method  of  work  met  with  con¬ 
siderable  success,  but  the  mission  in  Spain  has  had  to 
encounter  many  and  great  obstacles  in  the  bigotry  of 
the  priests  and  the  ignorance  and  indifference  of  the 
people.  About  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
with  Spain  the  Society  considered  the  matter  of  dis¬ 
continuing  its  efforts  in  that  country,  but  at  Mr.  Lund’s 
earnest  solicitation  a  small  appropriation  was  continued. 


29 


MISSIONS  IN  EUROPE 


One  of  the  most  effective  means  of  disseminating  the 
truth  has  been  through  Christian  literature,  which  has 
been  scattered  in  various  countries  aside  from  Spain 
where  the  same  language  is  spoken.  Some  interesting 
and  faithful  converts  have  been  won  from  year  to  year, 
and  it  is  believed  the  future  will  witness  greater  triumphs. 

When  the  Foreign  Mission  Society  was  contemplating 
work  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  Mr.  Lund  was  thought 
of,  as  his  familiarity  with  the  Spanish  language  and  with 
a  Roman  Catholic  people  gave  him  special  fitness  for 
the  undertaking.  Some  years  before,  a  native  of  the 
Philippine  Islands,  Braulio  Manikan  by  name,  had  come 
to  Spain  to  study  civil  engineering.  Through  a  train  of 
circumstances  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Lund, 
and  was  converted.  When  it  was  proposed  that  Mr. 
Lund  should  go  to  the  Philippines,  this  Filipino  was 
ready  to  go  with  him.  After  Manikan’s  conversion  he 
began  translating  into  his  own  language  parts  of  the 
gospels  and  certain  tracts  and  consequently  he  and  Mr. 
Lund  were  able  to  take  with  them  Christian  literature 
already  prepared  for  the  people  in  the  Islands. 

Aside  from  the  direct  evangelistic  work  for  Spain 
itself  two  other  important  features  have  sprung  up  from 
the  work  of  our  missionaries:  first,  Mr.  Lund’s  long 
experience  among  the  Spanish-speaking  people  fitted 
him  most  admirably  for  his  greater  work  in  the  Philip¬ 
pines;  second,  without  the  work  of  the  Baptists  and  other 
Protestants  in  Spain  the  present  breaking  up  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  power  would  have  been  impossible. 
Mr.  Lund,  writing  from  the  Philippines,  says:  “  I  need 
not  remind  you  that  Spain  is  an  interesting  field  and  will 
become  more  so  in  the  future.  The  Protestants  have 
become  a  strong  contributing  factor  to  the  position 
taken  by  the  premier  in  his  stand  for  religious  freedom. 
In  this  land,  where  once  Paul  labored,  we  Baptists 
should  insist  upon  having  strong  footing.” 

958-1  Rev.  Ed. -2500-May  1911. 


3° 


- 


* 


